Preview. These maps are our reading of public sources and haven't been checked with the projects' maintainers yet.
Language learning apps
Independent apps and tools for learning a human language.
21 projects86% active52% build on a shared standardMapped 2026-10-26
What they agree on
- Is it actively maintained? active (86% of 21)
- Who is it for? non-developers (86% of 21)
- Does it use game mechanics (streaks, hearts, XP, leaderboards, mini-games)? no game mechanics (71% of 17)
What they argue about
How is the main thing licensed?
How is it mainly sustained?
Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers?
Do you need an account to use it?
Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on?
Which learning method does the maker put first?
What does AI do in the product?
How many languages can you learn with it? If it works with content in any language, pick 'any language'.
Where does the material you learn from mainly come from?
How does a learner pay?
Where is your learning progress kept?
What is the main way you use it?
Projects
| Project | Status | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Anki (reference) | Active | The open-source spaced repetition flashcard program that many language tools export to. |
| Asakiri | Changed direction | An open-source desktop studio for teachers to write structured, Duolingo-style language courses that learners study in a free app. |
| Asụsụ Ọma | Active | A free web and Android app for learning Igbo with native-speaker audio, short guided lessons, games and folktales. |
| B1 Sprechen | Active | A web app that simulates the spoken Goethe or telc German B1 exam with AI examiners and gives feedback on your sentences. |
| DER DIE DAS (Painfree German) | Active | An iOS, Android and web app for learning German noun genders with FSRS flashcards, eight mini-games and live 1v1 duels. |
| Duolingo (reference, contrast) | Active | The dominant gamified language app, with 40+ languages, free courses with ads, and Super/Max subscriptions. |
| Excuse My French | Active | An open-source web app that generates endless French grammar exercises from a rule-based sentence engine and tracks your weak points. |
| Lector | Active | An open-source, self-hosted reader for any language that combines LingQ-style click-to-translate reading with cloze practice and Anki sync,… |
| Lessong | Active | A command-line tool that turns a song file into an audio lesson: each lyric line spoken and translated over the instrumental, then the real… |
| Lex | Active | A web toolkit for 34 languages: leveled reading with tap-to-translate, saved-word exercises, and essay writing with AI feedback. |
| LingQ (reference) | Active | A long-running reading and listening platform for 50+ languages where you import content, tap unknown words, and track your vocabulary. |
| MandarinClips | Active | A searchable web corpus of 180,000+ Chinese film and TV dialogue clips with translations, tagged by HSK level. |
| Mimi | Maintenance | A free, open-source, wiki-style language app ('Duolingo + Wikipedia') where anyone can edit the course content, with FSRS-scheduled lessons. |
| Pratevenn | Active | A private, offline AI conversation partner for practising spoken Norwegian Bokmål, run with Docker on your own computer. |
| ReadPlusOne | Active | A web app that generates Spanish stories from words you already know plus a few target words, and brings back words you missed. |
| SoundNativ | Active | A phone app that coaches English pronunciation with sound-by-sound AI feedback and native-speaker video lessons. |
| SparkleChinese | Maintenance | A Chrome and Firefox extension that swaps some English words on the pages you read for the Chinese words you are learning. |
| Speeku | Active | An offline phone app with 1,000+ short lessons for European Portuguese, free with hearts and a one-time unlock. |
| SubSmith | Active | A desktop and mobile app that transcribes your own video and audio files into study material with a hover dictionary and Anki export. |
| YouLangTube | Active | A web app that plays YouTube videos with subtitles that come and go in blocks, giving you more subtitle-free listening as your level rises. |
| Zhenzhu | Active | A macOS app that looks up Chinese you select, hover or capture anywhere on screen, with built-in FSRS flashcards and Anki export. |
Where they meet
- r/languagelearning subreddit
The main general learner forum; strict self-promotion rules (promotion wiki checked via a mirror, https://redlib.groet-infra.nl/r/languagelearning/wiki/rules_for_promotion/, since reddit.com blocked direct fetching). Makers post here despite the rules. - Anki Forums forum
Active on 2026-10-26; add-on makers and language-tool makers (e.g. a kanji tool) post here. Hosted the 2026-02-02 'Anki's Growing Up' stewardship announcement. - Language Learning with Netflix / Language Reactor forum forum
Product forum for Language Reactor users, active with posts dated 2026-10-25/26; a place where input-based learners discuss tooling. - Polyglot Gathering 2026 conference
Brno, Czech Republic, 2026-05-27 to 05-31, plus an online edition 2026-03-05 to 03-08. Learner-focused rather than maker-focused. - Polyglot Conference 2026 conference
Bologna, 2026-11-18 to 11-20, plus an online 'Global' edition 2026-10-08 to 10-11.
Follow
RSS for this community: projects added, status changes, and later polls and discussions.
Follow the whole community: OPML of every project's own release feed (where we found one) · OPML of every project's Poll Position feed.
The poll
Every project above was answered against these questions. Core questions are shared by all communities; the rest are this community's own.
- Is it actively maintained? core
active · active, but changed direction (pivot, fork, or rename) · maintenance or slowing · dormant, sunsetting, or archived - How is the main thing licensed? core
permissive open source (MIT/Apache/BSD) · copyleft or source-available with restrictions · open parts around a closed core · proprietary or closed source - How is it mainly sustained? core
individual side project, no revenue · individual with revenue (paid app, tier, ads, or donations) · community, foundation, or research · company with a paid product, tier, or ads · company or startup with a free product (no revenue yet) · big company side project - Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? core
yes · yes, but it calls a third-party service you choose (your own API key or account) · partly (some features need the maker's servers) · no, it needs the maker's servers · not applicable - Do you need an account to use it? core
no account · optional account · account required - Who is it for? core
developers · non-developers · both - Is there public evidence it's built with AI coding agents? core
yes, the repo shows it (agent instruction files or agent co-authored commits) · yes, the maker says so · no public evidence - Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? core
Anki decks and sync · the FSRS scheduler · CEFR levels (A1–C2, Goethe/telc exams) · HSK levels and word lists · none of these (its own format or interface) · not applicable - Which learning method does the maker put first? value
comprehensible input (reading or listening to real or leveled content) · spaced repetition flashcards · speaking, conversation, or pronunciation practice · structured lessons and exercises (a course path or drills) - What does AI do in the product? value
AI generates the core content, or is the conversation partner or examiner · AI only assists (translation, lookups, transcription, or grading) · no AI in the product - How many languages can you learn with it? If it works with content in any language, pick 'any language'. approach
one language · 2 to 10 languages · more than 10 languages · any language (it works on whatever content you bring or write) - Where does the material you learn from mainly come from? approach
content you bring (your videos, books, songs, or the pages you browse) · a library written or curated by people (the maker, teachers, or a community) · generated for you on the fly (by AI or by rules) - How does a learner pay? value
free, no paid tier (donations at most) · free tier plus a subscription · free tier plus a one-time purchase or pay-per-use packs · paid after a free trial - Does it use game mechanics (streaks, hearts, XP, leaderboards, mini-games)? value
yes, they are central · a few · no game mechanics - Where is your learning progress kept? value
on your device only · on your device, with optional cloud sync · on the maker's servers · on a server you run - What is the main way you use it? approach
web app in the browser · phone app · desktop app · browser extension on other sites · self-hosted server or command-line tool
Sources
Show HN posts 2026-07-27 to 2026-10-25 in this kind, plus well-known reference projects.
44 sources across 21 projects, read on 2026-10-26. Each project page lists its own. Poll version: core-v4.